Plastic binding machine



3 Sheets-Sheet l l. SPINNER ETAL PLASTIC BINDING MACHINE v NNN Q. /aad ww L April 22, 1952 Filed sept. 15. 1948 April 22, 1952 sPlNNER Erm. 2,593,805

PLASTIC BINDING MACHINE 5 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1948 Figa April 22, 1952 l. sPlNNr-:R Erm.

'PLASTIC BINDING MACHINE Filed sept. 15. 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. .22, 1952 Unirse smrss sereni OFFICE PLASTIC BINDING MACHINE Isidore Spinner and Harold W. Dahly, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Plastic Binding Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application September 13, 1948, Serial No. 49,084

22 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for binding books or other stacks of sheets of papers by means of a resilient tubular binder of the type shown, for example, in the patent to Douvry, No. 1,970,285, issued August 14, 1934, or the patent to Spinner, No. 2,334,589, issued November 16, 1943.

The binder of the type above referred to, which is merely representative of the types cf binder which can be used with the machine of the present invention, is made of resilient plastic material and comprises a backbone having a number of fingers extending from one edge thereof, the fingers being curled to meet or overlap the opposite edge of the backbone, the fingers thus assuming the shape of rings. The material of which the binder is formed has suflicient elasticity to permit the lingers to be uncurled to receive a stack of appropriately punched pages, without exceeding the elastic limit of the material, and upon release, the fingers or rings resume their curled form under their own resiliency.

Machines for uncurling the ngers or rings of binders of the above type and thereafter permitting the fingers to recurl to binding position are shown in the patent to Nelson et al., No. 2,108,136, issued February 18, 1938, and in the patent to Spinner, No. 2,334,589, issued November 16, 1943.

In the machine of the Spinner patent last above referred to, the backbone of the binder is held against a series of fingers or pins between which the curled fingers or rings of the binder extend. The rings of the binder are uncurled by pairs of spreader hooks that are introduced radially inwardly between adjacent binder rings and spread in a direction parallel with the back of the binder to bring the hooks into engagement with the curled rings, and are then moved in the direction away from the backbone to uncurl the rings. It is with the type of machine of which the Spinner patent is illustrative that the present invention is concerned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a binding machine of the above-mentioned character which is very simple and economical both in construction and in operation, and is easy to adjust to accommodate various sizes of binders.

Although the object above stated is the general object of the present invention, it will be seen that the machine illustrated in the drawing and described below incorporates a number of features which are adaptable to other binding machines of the general type herein discussed. For example, the structure hereafter de- 2 scribed which provides ready adjustability of the machine to binders of various diameters will be seen to be of general utility. When any such machine is being used with binders of very small diameter, it is necessary that the spreader hooks in their initial position be very close to the pins or lingers that constitute stops for the backbone. When the machine is used with binders of larger diameter, it is desirable that the initial position of the spreader hooks be at a distance from the backbone stops, otherwise the spreader hooks require considerable useless movement away from the backbone stops before they contact the fingers or rings that are to be uncurled. It will be seen that in the machine of the present invention the initial distance of the spreader hooks from the backbone stops may be adjusted at will in a simple and expedientymanner, while holding constant for all such initial positions the cycle wherein the initial movement of the spreader hooks is a spreading motion parallel to the backbone to bring the hooks into position engaging the rings, followed by a movement at right angles to the backbone to spread the rings.

In addition, the machine of the present invention incorporates spreader hooks in the form'of a unitary assembly which may be removed and replaced in a simple manner should the 'same become necessary due to damage orwear. The invention also provides aspreader hook arrangement wherein the spreader hooks may be fabricated as a group by a simple stamping of. sheet material stock, thus greatly reducing the cost of such a machine. Further, the present machine provides an arrangement wherein the danger of damage to the spreader hooks, as bybending or otherwise, is minimized.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification vtaken in co'njunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a machine Aembodying the invention;

Figure 2 is la View in front elevation of the machine of Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a hook assembly constituting a portion of the machine and illustrating some of the details of the construction thereof;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1 in the direction indicated by arrows;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view 3 taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1 in the direction indicated by arrows;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view of the machine illustrated in Figure 1 with the hooked teeth in a superimposed position;

Figure '7 is a view similar to that of Figure 6 except that the parts are illustrated in a position wherein the hooked teeth are spread;

Figure 8 is a bottom view of the machine;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of a carriage lock assembly constituting a portion of the machine illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line |8|8 of Figure 9 in the direction indicated by arrows;

Figure 11 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line ||-I| of Figure 6; and u Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line |2-I2-of Figure 1. Y

In the drawings the numeral 28 collectively designates the front and back portions of a horizontal flat base plate which is supported at the left and right ends thereof by vertical end plates 24 and 26, respectively, which are in turn supported by cushioned feet 21 at the four corners of the machine. A shaft 28 is journalled in the end plates 24 and 26 and a manual lever 38 is secured to the protruding right end of the shaft 28 by a collar 32 and set-screw 34. To the protruding left end of the shaft 28 is secured a clamp dog 36 having a radially protruding key 38, the clamp dog 36 being adjustable in rotational position upon the shaft 28 by loosening of a screw 48 which traverses the legs 42 of the clamp dog 36. At the extreme left end of the shaft 28 is a collar 44, retained in position by a pin 46.

Above the shaft 28 in the rotational path of the key 38 on the plate 26 is a ball 58 protruding from `a stepped aperture 52 in the plate 26, the ball 58 being backed by a compression spring 54 which is in turn backed by a cover tab 56 secured by a screw 58 to the inner surface of the end plate 26. Forward of the ball 58 in the rotational path of key 38 is a pin 68 protruding from the plate 26, the pin 68 thereby constituting a stop determining the forward position of the lever 38, the ball detent 58 locking the key 38, and thus the lever 38, into the forward position while permitting the lever 38 to be moved back by the exercise of force thereon.

Beneath the plate 28, tow-ard both ends of the shaft 28, are shaft levers or cranks 64 retained in place on the shaft 28 by set-screws 66. shaft levers 64 act through pitmans 68 to reciprocate slide blocks 18 in slots 12 in the base plate 28, the slide blocks 18 being secured to a rectangular carriage plate 14 by upwardly extending screws 16, the carriage plate 14 thus reciprocating backward and forward along the base plate 28 in accordance with the motion of the lever 38. An additional slot 18, slide block 88, and screws 82 are provided centrally of the plate 28 toprovide an additional guide and retainer for the carriage plate 14.

Near the back of the plate 28 are mounted, as by pressing, a series of upstanding pins 84 in a line parallel with the edge of the carriage plate 14 and equally spaced. The pins 84 collectively constitute a rack adapted to hold in place a binder of the type described above. Near the bases of the pins 84 are backwardly extending off-set portions 85. Toward the rear of the base plate 28, but forward of the pins 84, are stop blocks 86 .and 88 close to the respective sides of the plate 28. The stop blocks 86 and 88 have inner faces 98 and 92,

The

parallel with the path of the carriage plate 14, into which the carriage plate 14 may slide freely, but without substantial play, so that the stop blocks 86 and 88 provide an additional guide for the motion of the carriage plate 14. The stop blocks 86 and 88 have inwardly extending shoulder portions 84 and 96 at the back ends thereof, the shoulder portions 84 and 96 comprising stops for the forward corners of the carriage plate 14, thus defining the back end of the path of travel of the carriage plate 14 and thus the back end of the stroke of the lever 38.

The stops 86 and 88 have vertical slots 88 therein, so that the stops 86 and 86 may each be adjusted inl position upon loosening of screws |88 which secure the stops 86 and SS to the base plate 28. Parallelism of the stops 86 and 68 with each other and with the path of the carriage plate 14 is assured by rectangular slide bars |82 abutting against the outer surfaces of the rectangular stops 86 and 88, the slide bars |82 being fastened rigidly to the base plate 28 as by welding, and cooperating with the screws |88, which serve as guideposts, to prevent improper alignment of the stops during adjustment.

At the extreme back edge of the carriage plate 14 are mounted superimposed flat strips |84 and |86 having formed in the forward edge thereof, as by stamping, a series of extending teeth, the teeth of the lower strip |84 being designated in the drawing by the numeral |88, and the teeth of the upper strip |86 being designated in the drawing by the numeral H8. The rteeth of each strip are equally spaced with a spacing equal to the spacing between the pins 84. The strips |84 and |86 are mounted upon the Vcarriage plate 14 by studs which protrude upwardly from the carriage plate 14 along the back edge thereof, the studs I having heads cf large diameter in sliding contact with a reinforcement plate l2 which is secured as by spot welding to the upper strip |86. The strips |84 and |86 (and the reinforcement plate l I2) have longitudinal slots 4 therein, the studs extending through the slots. The strips |84 and |86 are thus slidable both with respect to each other and with respect to the carriage plate 14 in the direction parallel with the edge of the carriage plate 14.

The teeth |88 and ||8 are substantially rectangularin shape but each tooth |88 and |0 has a notch formed in the side thereof, the back edge of the notch being parallel with the line of pins 84, and the remainder of the notch curving forwardly and sideways to the side of the tooth, the ends of the teeth |88 and |8 thus being formed in the shape of hooks having straight hook portions I6 and |8, respectively, and having shank portions curving gradually to the edges of the teeth |88 and ||8. The hooked portions I6 and I 8 of thelower and upper strips |84 and |86, respectively, are oppositely disposed, the hook members ||6 facing toward the right and the hook members ||8 facing toward the left. The length of the slots |4, as illustrated in Figure 6, is such that when the lower strip |84 is in its extreme left position and the upper strip |86 is in the extreme right'position the teeth |88 and ||8 are substantially superimposed. When the teeth |88 and ||8 are thus superimposed, they are directly opposite the pins 84. When the upper strip |86 is in the extreme left position and the lower strip |84 in the extreme right position, the hooks ||6 and ||8 are spread as illustrated-in Figure 7. The carriage plate 14 has formed in the back edge thereof a series of teeth which cooperate with cam follower lpins '-5 ||8 of .substantially the same shape las the teeth |08 and H0, but without any notches. 'The teeth H9 lie' directly beneaththe teeth r|08 and sition, and lend support and` rigidity thereto.

Pivoted upon studs |20 and |22 at the opposite edges of the carriage plate 14 forward of the strip assembly described above are cam plates |24 and |26, respectively. The cam plates |24 and |26v have outwardly extending shoulder portions |28 and |30 whose leading edges |32 yand |34 engage the forwardly facing edges of the stops 86 and 88 as the carriage plate 'I4 is moved back toward the pins 84. At vthe back ends of the cam plates |24 and |26 |40 and |42" which `protrude upwardly from lower strips |04 and |06, respectively, to move 'the strips |04 and |08 upon pivoting of the cam plates |24 and |26, respectively, caused by 'backward motion of the carriage plate 14 after engaging of the cam plate edges |32 and |34 against 'the ends of the stops 86 and 88. The shoulder portions |28 and |30 have squared back corners, so that the cam plates |24 and |26 are rotated only to the point Y where the side edges |44 and |46, respectively, of the shoulder portions |28 land |30 are parallel with and slide against the inner faces 90 and 62 of. the vstops 86 and 88. Thereafter the carriage plate '|4 'may continue to move backward until the 'back edge engages the shoulder portions 04 and 96 `of the stops 86 and 88 without further rotation of the cam plates |24 and |26.

The cam plates |24 and |26 are spring-biased by torque springs |48 `to the position shown in Figure '7, wherein the back ends of the cam plates |24 and |26, and thus the cam slots |36` and |38, are rotated to the right and to the left, respectively, whereby the hooks ||6 and ||8 are spread. Thus when the carriage plate 14 is moved back from its forward positionv toward pins 84, the teeth remain in this Aposition until the last portion of the stroke at which Vpoint the actuation of the cam plates commences as shown in Figure 7, and at the end of the stroke the" hooked teeth are superimposed as shown in Figure 6.

The structure of the particular embodiment oil the invention illustrated in the drawings having thus been described, the operation of the illustrated machine will be readily understood. In operation, a binder having curled fingers is placed so that the backbone thereof rests against the backs of the pins 84 with the curled fingers protruding forward in the spaces between the pins. The binder and the manner of insertion thereof vare not illustrated, being shown in the above-mentioned patent to Spinner, No. 2,334,589. During such insertion the lever 30 is in the back position, teeth |08 and ||0 are superimposed as shown in Figure 6; the side are 'cam slots |36 and |38" ||i when the later are in the superimposed 'poedges 44 and |46 of the shoulder portions |28 1 and |30 of the cam plates |24 and |26 abut against the edges 90 and 62 of the stops 86 and 88.

The lever 30 is then pulled toward the operator. At vthe commencement of the stroke of the lever 30, the carriage plate 14 commences to move forward toward the operator and the edges |44 and |46 of the cams |24 and |26 slide for a very short distance along the edges 90 and 92 of the stops. When the forward edges |32 and |34 of the cam plates reach the back edges of the stops 86 and 88, the cams |24 and |26-com mence to rotate by reason of the force exerted by the biasing of the springs |48. As cams |24 and .ing the carriage .|26 so rotate, -thestrips |04 and |06 .move inopposite directions the movement continuing as the carriage movement continues. The relative movement of the strips |04 and |06 is terminated by the abutment of the ends of the slots ||4 lagainstthe respective studs At this point the hooks ||6 and ||8 are spread asfshown in .Figure '7, and thus engage thecurled fingers of. the binder. The backward movement lof the carriage plate i4 continues until the key 38 on the clamp dog 36 strikes the pin 60, as is best seen in Figure 9. At this point the operator may withdraw his hand from the lever 30, and the resiliency of the binder is prevented from draw- 74 back toward the pins 84 by the ball detent 50. The hands of the operator are 'thus free to insert the pages to be bound. Thereafter by slight force on the lever 30, the action of the detent 60 is overcome and the lever and the carriage proceed back to the original position. The teeth |08 and ||0 are restored to superimposed position bythe reversing of the co-action of cams |24 and |26 and stops 86 and 88 above described.

The end of the path of the carriage plate 14 is determined by abutment of the forward edge thereof against the shoulder portions 04 and 96 of the stops 86 and 88. The distance of the teeth |08 and ||0 from Athe pins 84 in this initial and terminal position, to accommodate binders of various diameters, is adjusted by loosening of the screws |00 and adjusting of the position of the stops 86 and 88 in the direction parallel with the path of the carriage plate 14. The stops 86 and 88 are maintained parallel with the path of the carriage plate by the slide bars |02. Thus it may be seen that in making such an adjustment it is necessary only to loosen the screws |00, place the carriage 14 in the desired initial and terminal position by means of lever 30, slide the stops 86 and 88 into abutment against the carriage plate and then tighten the screws. The adiustment thus effected, although extremely simple, nevertheless assures accurate and proper operation of the machine because of the structure described above, whereby parallelism between the stops 86 and 8 8 and the path of the carriage '|4 is assured. Likewise, adjustment of the opposite position of the carriage plate 14 may readily be made merely by loosening the screw 40 which clamps the clamp dog 36 to the shaft 28, placing the carriage plate in the desired terminal position, rotating the clamp dog 36 to abutment of the key 38 against the pin 60 and tightening of the screw 40.

The mechanism described above, in addition to being extremely simple in operation and adjustment, also minimizes the possibility of danger and damage to the machine. The teeth |08 and H0 are integral with the strips |04 and |06 and are made of steel of high mechanical strength. The possibility of bending or other damage to the teeth |08 and ||0 is further reduced by the fact that the hooks ||6 and ||8 are formed simply by notching the edges of the teeth in the manner described above. The shanks which support the hooked edges ||6 and ||8 are thus maximized in strength and rigidity. Furthermore, the provision of teeth |08 and |0 which extend toward the pins 84 in a plane parallel with the path of the carriage 'I4 permits the hooked teeth |08 and ||0 to be fabricated as an integral portion of the strips |04 and |06 by a simple stamping operation. i

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes we have here shown and decribed a preferred embodiment of our invention. It is, however, to be understood, that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What we consider new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a binding machine, a base, a carriage slidable in one direction with respect to the base, a holding means adapted to fix the position of a binder having curled ngers extending therefrom, the direction of motion of the carriage being toward and away from said holding means, a plurality of hooks movably mounted on the carriage, each hook having a shank extending toward the holding means and a hook portion extending along a line parallel with the holding means, a cam member mounted upon said carriage and coupled to said hooks, said hooks being spring-biased to a position adapted to engage the curled lingers, and a stop member mounted upon the base and engaging said cam upon motion of the carriage toward the holding means to movel said hooks to finger-releasing positions and thereafter engaging the carriage to stop the motion of the carriage toward the holding means, said stop member being adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the carriage.

2. In a binding machine of the class described, in combination, a plurality of equally spaced hooks having substantially parallel shank portions and substantially aligned hook portions, a carriage movable in a direction perpendicular to the hook portions, the hooks being mounted on the carriage and movable therewith, a springbiased cam pivoted on the carriage and coupled vto the hooks to move the hooks in a direction parallel with the hook portions, and a rigidly mounted stop member adjoining the path of the carriage and having a surface substantially perpendicular to the path of the carriage and a surl face parallel with the path of the carriage, the

cam engaging Said perpendicular surface to move said hooks to finger-releasing positions and thereafter abutting against said parallel surface to x the position of the hooks during further motion of the carriage, said carriage engaging the stop to determine the endof the path thereof, the position of the stop being adjustable in the direction of motion of the carriage.

3. The. combination of claim 2 wherein the stop member has an additional surface parallel with the direction of motion of the carriage and there is provided a xed slide member having a surface abutting said additional surface to maintain the stop parallel with the path of the carriage during adjustment of the stop as aforesaid.

`4'. The combination of claim 3 wherein the means of adjustment and mounting of the stop member comprise a slot therethrough parallel with the path of the carriage member and a single tightenable guide post extending through said slot.

5. In a binding machine of the class described, in combination, a base, a plurality of pairs of equally spaced oppositely disposed spreadable hooks, spring means biasing the hooksY to a spread position, a rigid member upon which said pairs of hooks are mounted, said rigid member being movable along a guided path, a fixed stop member, and a cam -mounted on said rigid member and movable therewith and operatively connected to said hooks to produce relative motion between the hooks of each pair, said stop member having y a portion engaging said cam at a point near the end of the path of the rigid member to superimpose the hooks and a portion adjacent the first-mentioned portion and parallel to the path of said rigid member, so that upon actuation of the cam the hooks of each pair remain in the superimposed position, said stop member thereafter engaging the rigid member to determine the end of its path, said stop member being adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the rigid member, whereby the length of the path of the rigid member is adjustable by adjustment of the position of the stop member, but the relation between the point in the path-of the rigid member Where the hooks are 'superimposed and the end of the path of the rigid member remains constant for all such adjustments.

6. Ina binding machine, a base, a carriage slidable in one direction on the base, a plurality of aligned upstanding equally spaced pins mounted on the base, the direction of motion of the carriage b eing perpendicular to the line of pins, a plurality of pairs of superimposed teeth mounted on the carriage, each pair of superimposed teeth extending toward one of said pins, said teeth having hooked portions extending in respectively opposite directions parallel With said line of pins, a cam member mounted upon said carriage and coupled to said teeth, the teeth of each of said pairs being spring-biased to a spread position and being movable by said cam to'a superimposed position, and a stop member mounted upon said base and engaging said cam upon motion of the carriage towards the pins to superimpose the teeth and thereafter engaging the carriage to stop the motion of the carriage toward the pins, said stop member being adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the carriage.

7. In a binding machine for binders having .a backbone with curled fingers, said machine comprising a base' member, a plurality of equally spaced parallel hook members movable between a position adapted to engage said fingers and a position adapted to free said fingers, and a carriage member movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of said motion of the hook members, said hook members heing mounted on said carriage member and extending therefrom, the improvement comprising a cam pivoted upon said carriage member, and a stop mounted upon said base member, said cam being coupled to said hook members and being actuable upon motion of said carriage member by engaging said stop to move said hook members to the free position, said stop being adapted to engage said carriage member to stop the motion thereof after the cam has been actuated, said stop being adjustable in position along the direction of motion of the carriage member, said cam being spring-biased to maintain the hook members inthe engaged position except when the cam is actuated by thel stop as aforesaid.

8. In a binding machine for binders having a backbone with curled ngers, in combination, a

base member,` a plurality of pairs of equally carriage. by engaging seid step te Substantially superimpose said pairs of hook members, said Stop being adapted to engage said carriage member to stop the motion thereof after the cam has been actuated, said stop being adjustable in position along the direction of motion of the carriage member and said Acam being spring-biased to maintain the hook members in the spread position except whenV the cam is actuated by the stop as aforesaid.

9. In a binding machine for binders having a backbone with curled fingers, in combination, a Substantially flatbase plate. a plurality of equally spaced aligned vpins extending from Said bese plate, two superimposed strips having matched edges parallel with said line of. pins. said edges being Slll'ld t0 QIII! equally' .SDaQed teeth. having -hOOk-.id pQltiOIlS. n.631* the Outer Grids, there" of... the. hooked portions on the teeth of the respective strips facing in opposite directions along the line of pins,` each pair of superimposed teeth extending toward one of said pins, said strips being slidable with respect to each other ina direction parallel with said line of pins, a carriage plate carrying said strips and slidable on said base plate in a direction perpendicular to said line of pins., a pivoted cam mounted upon said carriage plate, and a. stop mounted upon said base plate, said cam being coupled to at least one of said strips and being actuable upon motion of said carriage plate toward said pins by striking said stop tov superimposev said pairs of teeth, said stop being adapted to engage said carriage plate to stop the motion thereof after the cam has been actuated, said stop being adjustable in position along the directionof motion of the car-V riage plate to determine the distance of the teeth from the pins at the extreme position of the carriage plate determined by the stop, said cam being spring-biased to maintain the teeth in the relative position wherein the hooks are spread except when the cam is actuated by the stop as aforesaid.

l0. In a binding machiney of the class described, binder holding means for holding a binder hav'- ing a backbonev and spaced curled fingers protruding therefrom, a plurality of parallel equally spaced hook members movable laterally between a position engaging said curled ngersand a position free of said curled fingers, and a carriage member movable toward and away from the holding means, said hook; members being mounted on said carriage member and extending therefrom, the improvement comprising equal-ly spaced teeth integral with the carriage member and extending therefrom, each of Said teeth be-v ing adjacent to and slidablyengaged by one of the hook members; to. reinforce said hook member and prevent distortion thereof, all portions of said teeth being within the lateral limits of said hook members when the hook members are in the position free of the curled fingers,

11. In a binding machine of they class. described having binder holding means for holding a binder having curled ngers protruding therefrom, a plurality of pairs of equally spaced hook-members, each pair constituting oppositely disposed hooks movable between a substantially superimposed position and a spread position, and a carriage member movable toward and away from the holding means, said hook members being mounted on said carriage member and extending therefrom, the improvement comprising equally spaced teeth rigid with said carriage member .and extending therefrom.. each of Seid teeth being slidablyengaged by and underlying onev hook member of each pair of hook members' a binder having a backbone and spaced curled lingers protruding therefrom, superimposed strips each having an elongated edge facing to..- ward said holding means, said edge of each of said strips having formed therein a plurality of spaced superimposed hooked portionsV extending respectively in opposite directions along said edge, means coupled to atleast one 4of said vstrips to -move said strips longitudinally relative to each other, whereby saidy superimposed hooked por'-, tions are spread to engage adjoining curled nn.- gers of the binder, and means for moving both of said strips in a direction away from the binder holding means, whereby the fingers of they binder are uncurled, said means for moving both of said strips comprising a carriage platehaving pro# truding teeth at the forward edge thereof,'the hooked portions of the lower of the twov strips. being superimposed on the teeth of the carriage plate when the strips are in the superimposed position so that the teeth of the carriage plate reinforce the hooked teeth and prevent distortion thereof.

1,3. In a. binding machine of the class, de. scribed, in combination, binder holding means for holding a binder having a .backbone and spaced curled fingers protruding therefrom, a pair of superimposed strips each having an edge facing toward said binder holding means, each such edge having formed therein a `plurality of equally spaced hooked portions, the hook portions on the two strips being superimposed and sliding on one another, means for moving the two strips in opposite directions parallel *with` said edge, whereby Seid hooked portions engage. adjoining curled fingers of the binder, and means for moving said strip in a direction perpendic- ,ular to the binder holding means, whereby the fingers of the binder are uncurled to permit insertion of pages. therein.

14. 4In a binding machine of the class described, having a plurality of aligned parallelV pins, pairs of oppositely disposed hooks extending toward said pins, means for actuating said hooks to selectivelyspread and superimpose the hooks, and means for moving the hooks toward. and away from the pins, the improved construction wherein the corresponding members of each pair of hooks are integral with, and formed from,l a

single strip, the stripsv being superposed .one .onV the other, each hook constituting av tooth ex. tending from the edge of said'strip in the plane.`

of said strip, the edge of said tooth being notched the notch having an edge parallel with thedirection of actuation of the hooks, and an edge curving to the edge of the tooth', the teeth of one strip sliding over the teeth of the other .strips and the teeth of each pair overlapping one an# other in one position ofthe teeth. V

15. In a binding machine of the class de: scribed, means for holding a binder having a plurality of spaced binder rings, superimposed flat strips having flat teeth extending toward said pins, said teeth having oppositely disp ed hook portions with the. lhooks of one stripoverf. lapping and sliding on the hooks of the other,

1l strip, means for actuating said strips to produce oppositely sliding longitudinal motion thereof, and means for moving said strips toward and away from said holding means.

16. In a; binding machine of the class described, in combination, holding means for holding a binder having curled lingers protruding therefrom, superimposed at strips each having an edge facing toward said holding means, said edge of each of said strips having formed therein a plurality of equally spaced teeth in the plane of the respective strips, the corresponding superimposed teeth of said two strips having overlapping hooked portions extending respectively in. opposite directions along said edge, means coupled to at least one of said strips to move said strips relative to each other in a direction parallel withsaid edge, whereby said overlapping hooked portions are spread to engage adjoining curled lingers of the binder, and means for moving both of said strips in a direction perpendicular to the holding means, whereby the ngers of the binder are uncurled to permit insertion of pages therein.

17. In a binding machine of the class described. a plurality of pairs of hook members, each pair having a superimposed position wherein one hook of the pair overlaps the other hook of the pair and a spread position, a manually operable lever, means responsive to the stroke of said lever to move said pairs of hook members in a direction perpendicular to the direction of spreading when the hook membersare in the spread position and to slide said hook membersover one another to a superposed position at an extreme position of the stroke of said lever, and a ball detent coupled to said lever to removably retain said means and said lever at the opposite extreme stroke position.

18. In a binding machine of the class described, having a 'plurality of aligned parallel pins, pairs of oppositely disposed hooks extending toward said pins, means for actuating said hooks to selectively spread and superimpose the hooks, and means for moving the hooks toward and away from the pins, the improved construction wherein the corresponding members of each pair of hooks are integral with, and formed from, a single strip, each hook constituting a tooth extending from the edge of said strip in the plane of said strip, the edge of said tooth being notched, the notch having an edge parallel with the direction of actuation of the hooks, and an edge curving to the edge of the tooth, the two strips whereof said pairs of teeth are formed being superimposed, and the means for moving the hooks toward and away from the pins comprising va carriage member movable in said direction, said carriage member having an edge facing said pins, said edge having formed therein extending teeth, the edges of the strips being superimposed upon the edge of the carriage member and the superimposed teeth of the strips completely overlying the teeth of the carriage member, only when the teeth of the strips are superimposed.

19. In a binding machine, a base, a carriage slidable with respect to the base, binder holding means adapted to hold a binder having curled fingers extending therefrom, means for restraining the motion of the carriage to a movement toward and away from said holding means, av

plurality of spreadable hooks mounted on the carriage, each hook having a shank extending toward the holding means and a hook portion extending from the shank, a cam member mounted upon said carriage and coupled to said hooks, said hooks being spring-biased to a position adapted to engage the curled lingers, and a stop member engaging said cam upon motion of the carriage toward the holding means to actuate said hooks and thereafter engaging the carriage to stop the motion of the carriage toward the binder holding means, said stop member being adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the carriage.

20. In Aa binding machine of the class described, in combination, a plurality of equally spaced hooks having substantially parallel shank nportions and substantially aligned hook portions, amovable carriage, the hooks being mounted on the carriage, a spring-biased cam pivoted on the carriage and coupled to the hooks to move the hooks in a direction at right angles'v to the direction of movement of the carriage, and a rigidly mounted stop member adjoining the path of the carriage and having a surface substantially perpendicular to the path o f the carriage and a surface parallel With the path of the carriage, the cam engaging said perpendicular surface to actuate the hooks and thereafter abutting against said parallel surface to x the position of the hooks during further motion of the carriage, said carriage engaging the stop to determine the end of the path thereof, the position of the stop being adjustable in the direction of motion of the carriage.

2l. In a binding machine, a base, holding means for holding a binder having curled fingers extending therefrom, a carriage slidable on said base toward and away from said holding means, a plurality of hooks movably mounted on the carriage, each hook having a shank portion eX- tending toward the holding means and a lateral hook portion, means biasing said hooks to lingerengaging positions, cooperating cam means on said carriage and base for moving said hooks to ilnger-releasing positions, said cam means comprising a movable member mounted on the carriage and coupled to said hooks, and a cooperating member mounted on the base and engaging said movable member upon motion of the carriage toward the holding means a predetermined distance, one of said members being bodily adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the carriage to vary the effective point of engagement between said cooperating members.

22. In a binding machine, a base, holding means for holding a binder having curled fingers extending therefrom, a carriage slidable on said base toward and away from said holding means. a plurality of hooks movably mounted on the carriage, each hook having a shank portion extending toward the holding means and a lateral hook portion, means biasing said hooks to fingerengaging positions, cooperating cam means on said carriage and base for moving said hooks to finger-releasing positions, said cam means comprising a movable member mounted on the carriage and coupled to said hooks, and a cooperating member mounted on the base and engaging said movable member upon motion of the carriage toward the holding means a predetermined distance and thereafter engaging a part movable with the carriage to limit the effective motion of the latter toward the holding means, one of said members being bodily adjustable in position in the direction of motion of the 13 carriage to vary the effective point of engagement between said cooperating members, and means operable upon adjustment of said latter member to vary the eifective motion of the carriage. 5

ISIDORE SPINNER. HAROLD W. DAHLY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 le of this patent:

Number 14 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Emmer Sept Spinner Nov. Emmer Nov. Emmer Jan. Y Temple Feb.

Date 30, 1941 16, 1943 

